AHA Recommends Rapid Dietary Assessment in Primary Care

The American Heart Association has released a new scientific statement recommending that primary care clinicians routinely assess the diet of adult patients.

They assessed 15 potential rapid diet screener tools developed or used within the past decade that were applicable to adults aged 20 to 75 years, scoring them based on performance in 10 pre-established criteria. Of these 15, the researchers identified 3 that performed best: the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) and its variations, the modified Rapid Eating Assessment for Participants (REAP), and the modified Starting the Conversation tool.

“Several existing rapid diet screener tools have been identified that meet theory- and practice-based validity criteria, some of which take <5 minutes to complete, have been integrated into EHRs, and provide immediate actionable dietary feedback,” they wrote.

“In the future, providing regular diet assessment and recommendations based on validated clinical tools will help patients address the lifestyle changes they need for healthier lives and reduce the public health and economic burdens from cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases linked to poor diet quality.”

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Vadiveloo M, Lichtenstein AH, Anderson C, et al. Rapid diet assessment screening tools for cardiovascular disease risk reduction across healthcare settings: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Published online August 7, 2020. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. doi: 10.1161/HCQ.0000000000000094